Blog week ending 25th June

Welcome to our latest Stone Lodge School update.   It’s been another busy, exciting (and rather warm!) couple of weeks across the school!

From celebrating our fantastic Year 13 students at their Leavers’ Breakfast, to seeing younger year groups embrace new challenges, opportunities and achievements, there has been so much to be proud of. Whether in the classroom, out on trips, or taking part in enrichment activities, our students continue to impress us with their enthusiasm, creativity and resilience. As always, we’re delighted to share just some of the highlights with you and give you a glimpse into life at Stone Lodge.

We had a wonderful event for our Year 13 students at their Leavers’ Breakfast! Some of these students have been with us at Stone Lodge since Year 7, making the occasion even more special.

We enjoyed a lovely continental breakfast while Mrs Tiddy and Ms Deacon spoke about their journey, their future ahead, and reflected on some cherished memories from the years gone by.

We couldn’t be prouder of our students and wish them all the very best for their A Level results on 13th August.

Pictured below .. Ms Deacon presided over a very (very) special awards, with bespoke ‘alternative’ certificates being presented to students. Awards ranged from ‘Most Likely to Work at MI5’ to ‘Most Likely to Come Back and Teach at SLS’!

We also held a special end of exams celebratory assembly and activities with our Year 11 students, as well as school prom – which we will include in our next Blog!

Careers Update. Sixty Year 8 students who led their houses in House Points attended a “Lightbulb moments – Network Rail” workshop delivered by Talent Foundry. After learning about the wide variety of job roles involved within the railway industry, in their teams, students were tasked with designing and pitching their own railway station. They had to make sure that their train stations were futuristic, eco-friendly and accessible.

Despite some initial nerves at the beginning of the day, every student in each group spoke during their pitches and communicated some truly creative concepts. Everything from magnetic rails that allowed trains to glide through the air, a train station that doubled up as a safari becoming an attraction itself, solar powered trains with backup batteries for cloudy days and apps to help people with impairments navigate their station safely.

Throughout the session, students developed a range of essential skills that are highly valued in both education and the workplace. These included:

• Speaking: expressing ideas clearly and confidently within a group setting
• Problem Solving: tackling complex challenges and finding practical solutions
• Creativity: thinking imaginatively to design forward-thinking concepts

At the end of the workshop, students presented their final station concepts, showcasing their original ideas and explaining how they had incorporated accessibility features.

Overall, this workshop offered a highly engaging experience, equipping students with both practical skills and inspiration for their future pathway by meeting Gatsby Benchmark 2 (learning from career and labour market information). Pictured, students presenting their ideas to the group and sharing their designs!

Our latest Careers Newsletter can be read by clicking here. Full of top tips and lots of helpful information and inspiration!

Year 12 Sixth Form (SL6) Induction Day. This week we were delighted to welcome new students and returning Year 11 students to a bespoke programme of taster lessons, team-building activities and a chance to hear from existing Year 13 students. It was great to see students get a feel for Sixth Form life and get to know key staff and their student colleagues in such a productive and enjoyable way!

Students took part in taster sessions in the subjects they have chosen to study in September. They also got involved in a team-building session, received an introduction to Sixth Form, and were given information about mentoring and reflection.

It was a very successful day, and we hope students enjoyed the sessions and that it has given them a better understanding of what it will be like to be a Year 12 student as part of SL6.

We wish them all the very best for their exam results and look forward to welcoming them back in September.

Huge congratulations to our intrepid Duke of Edinburgh students who smashed their assessed expedition – with every student passing! Miss Haynes is extremely proud of each and every one of you, and the external assessors couldn’t speak highly enough about our students – they were thoroughly impressed by your teamwork, resilience, and positive attitude throughout. Over the course of the expedition, students navigated their routes across the Kent countryside, carrying all of their kit and working together to overcome challenges along the way. From setting up camp to cooking independently and supporting one another, you demonstrated fantastic determination, independence, and maturity.

Completing the Bronze Award expedition is no small feat, and you should all be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved. You represented the school brilliantly and showed exactly what can be accomplished with perseverance and teamwork. Well done to everyone involved – a truly outstanding achievement!

Our STEM on Track Club had an unforgettable weekend as Mr Ofosu‑Apea, supported by Mr Baker, led our Go Kart team to the national finals in Northamptonshire. With nearly 70 schools taking part, including teams travelling all the way from the Netherlands and Hong Kong the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and competition.

Racing in heat 3, our students secured 14th and 18th place out of 22, a result they can be proud of. But the real victory came from what happened off the track, watching students from different year groups support one another, solve problems together, and build genuine friendships. That sense of unity is what makes this club so special.

Scrutineering went smoothly, and although we had a few dramatic spin‑outs along the way, spirits stayed high. A huge highlight of the day was the infectious energy brought by Mrs Pickard, whose enthusiasm kept everyone motivated from start to finish. A massive well done to the whole team for their teamwork, commitment and ambition. They represented the school brilliantly and showed what can be achieved when young people throw themselves into a challenge with passion and positivity.

Ms Adeyemo’s Year 8 Food Preparation & Nutrition students enjoyed a practical lesson to prepare Chicken Jalfrezi. Students prepared the chicken and made the curry sauce from scratch, successfully executing a high level of technical ability to create a healthy (and delicious) meal.

The Secret Life of Mrs Nguyen: How Our Librarian is charming the local booksellers to grow our library!

Thanks to her networking and persuasive skills our school library has just hit another jackpot. This year alone, Mrs Nguyen has secured over 250 free books for our shelves! Our library sections are steadily growing in size. We have a fabulous range of new reads from epic adventures for the younger years, maximum drama for teens, sophisticated reads for our sixth-formers and staff and books to help our students to ace their homework.

Some of the donations also came from staff, parents and carers of our students and local supermarkets. Please don’t forget she is always grateful for any book donations, so if you have any unwanted books at home in good condition please do drop them off in our school office. Thank you in advance.

As temperatures continue to remain high, we are committed to ensuring the safety and comfort of all students and staff. We have carefully consulted the Department for Education and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) guidance on how schools should manage hot weather effectively:

1. Uniform Adjustments

– All students should wear school PE Kit until Friday 26/06. We anticipate a return to normal school uniform on Monday 29/06.

– Sunscreen with high SPF should be applied before school and brought in if needed.

– Students are encouraged to bring in personal, hand-held fans which can be used in class.

2. Classroom Environment

– Windows and doors will be opened early to ventilate rooms.

– Blinds will be closed to block direct sunlight without restricting airflow.

– Lights and unused equipment will be turned off to reduce heat.

– In-line with guidance, windows will be closed in the hottest part of the day

3. Hydration

– All students must have a refillable water bottle with them each day

– Students will be encouraged to drink more water than usual.

– Students need to fill their water bottle during break/lunch. They will not be permitted to leave lessons to fill water bottles.

4. Other Amendments

– Food Tech and PE lessons will be modified for the rest of this week

– Students will receive a reminder before the end of break and lunch to refill their water bottles.

– No ball games will be allowed outside at break or lunch.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school community safe and comfortable during this period of extreme weather.

Forthcoming Dates;

Y6 Induction (small primaries day) – 25 June 9-12noon

Year 9 Careers Workshop – 29 June

Year 10 Geography Field Trip – 29 & 30 June

Year 6 Transition Day (1) – 2 July

Year 10 Careers Advisor – 2 July

Year 6 Transition Day (2) – 3 July

Year 10 Careers Event Trip – 6 July

All Years LBC Week – 13-17 July

Reports home – 17 July

End of Term 6 – 21 July 12noon

First Day of 2026/27 Academic Year – Thursday 3 September (except new Years 7 & 12 whose first day is Wednesday 2 September

Best wishes,

Catherine Cusick

Headteacher